Smoking – A Slow Moving Bullet

This is a topic I’m very passionate about, but do not want to offend anyone by writing my thoughts on smoking, so excuse me if I do!  That is not my intent…I am just convinced if people really sat down and thought about it, they would not do it!  Call me naive.  My goal in writing this is to educate smokers and non-smokers of the harmful effects!

First of all, read these articles about smoking:
http://www.smokingeffects.org/
http://www.stop-smoking-tips.com/dangers-smoking.html

Now, of course if I read those articles I would stop smoking, but that’s probably not the case.  My thoughts on smoking are:
1. It’s addictive – This is by far the #1 reason people do not quit, but if you have not started yet, read this and DON’T SMOKE!  You know it is a constant struggle for people so why start something that will take over your decision making abilities?!  Living in this world is hard enough, so why make it even harder.  The calmness and quick fix you get from them can be found in SOOO many other ways!
2. It’s costly – The article below explains the cost of smoking to a smoker and non-smoker!  In short, smokers spend roughly $1,000-$2,000 on cigarettes alone…that’s not including all the medical expenses you are incurring on yourself and others.  If you smoke 10 cigarettes a day, with the U.S. average being $5.58 a pack, you will spend $1,018.35 in a year.  If you smoke a pack a day, you spend $2,036.70 a year.  That’s $84-$169 a month.  I’m sorry, but I don’t have much sympathy for people trying to cut costs and continue to smoke. 
http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?tid=10298&ttype=2
3. It’s a slow moving bullet – This is where I get really frustrated!!!  It is a FACT that smoking causes diseases, cancers, illness, and deaths!  It is the same thing as a slow moving bullet!  If I go around shooting people with a gun, I would get arrested, correct?  Yes of course, because it’s illegal.  Well smoking is shooting people with guns, but the bullet is just moving much slower.  It could injure them and/or kill them.  So I am in awe why this disgusting habit is not ILLEGAL!!!  And on another more intimate note, how does this not crush you knowing it harms your children or other children!  Read the article below about effects on children.  I’m not going to say if you smoke you don’t love children because I know that is not true, but I really do wonder what you would have to know about smoking for it to affect your decision to stop.  If you’re not a parent, I can understand a little more, but man!  It infuriates me that MY baby has to suffer despite the fact that I choose not to smoke!  He is sitting in my womb and taking in the consequences (as well as myself) of smoking! 
http://www.finleystyle.com/?p=476
4. Those who smoke should pay a higher insurance fee – I know this would never pass because there are a ton of other choices people make that harm other people and our environment, but smoking is the ONLY choice that is not something we have to do AND effects others.  Think of all the habits – eating, drinking, injecting drugs, biting your nails, etc…  For example, eating!  People have to eat to survive, so I can see how people get addicted to this.  Is is bad to be addicted to food?  Yes, but it’s the one thing you have to do to survive.  Drinking!  Do you have to do this at one point in your life?  No!  But does it effect others if you sit there and drink?  No!  It bothers me that I have the same insurance benefits and will get treated equally if I get an illness from smoking, just as much as someone who smokes and gets an illness from smoking.  This is such an easy fix for our world!
5. The age limit should be raised!  18 year olds choose to smoke because “it’s cool” in someway or another…it strictly starts as a social thing.  I can’t blame them for wanting to fit in, so we need to raise the age of smoking to at least 24.  This would mean, kids are out of college (less of a social reason to start) and may be slightly more educated on the harmful effects.  If we are not going to raise the age, than the government could force a test that has to be taken before you can get a license to smoke.  Just like you have to take a test to drive, you would have to take a test to smoke.  Questions would entail the harmful effects of smoking so kids are aware what they are getting into.  The key is to stop it before it starts!  It’s an addictive habit and the government has the ability to educate the public!  I wish I could teach a class in high school on smoking and other drugs! 
6. Third Hand Smoke – it’s inevitable!  After reading this article on third hand smoke, fumes arose in me even more!  http://www.babble.com/CS/blogs/strollerderby/archive/2009/01/05/third-hand-smoke-can-harm-your-kids.aspx
7. It’s plain NOT FAIR!  Smoke breaks are one way it’s not fair!  Luckily, I work in a school where smoke breaks are much harder to come by than if I worked elsewhere, but it is not uncommon for people to take five 10 minute smoke breaks a day.  That’s 50 minutes of working gone!  50 minutes of working from the non-smoke I might add, while the smoker harms the environment and brings all that smoke back inside to infect others.  Oh man, I just thought of all the kids that enter that school and bring in smoke!  Ugh, poor kids and poor kids whose parents don’t smoke..and poor me and my baby!  Sorry Baby Snydes, I’m trying! 

I WANT TO END BY SAYING THIS:  I LOVE MY SMOKING FRIENDS AND FAMILY!  I REALLY DO.  AND I KNOW THIS POST MAY SOUND HARSH, BUT IT’S BECAUSE I CARE NOT ONLY ABOUT MY FAMILY’S SAFETY AND THE WORLDS, BUT I CARE ABOUT YOURS!  THE BENEFIT YOU GET FROM SMOKING RIDICULOUSLY OUTWEIGHS THE NEGATIVE.  THERE ARE TONS OF WAYS TO STOP, BUT YOU’RE DOING A GOOD THING FOR YOURSELF, YOUR FAMILY, AND YOUR WORLD!